Kim Jong Un to meet Putin in Russia: Report

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will soon visit Russia for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, North Korean state media said on Tuesday, with a Russian newspaper reporting they will meet on Thursday in Vladivostok.   

 The visit is part of Kim’s effort to build foreign support for his economic development plans, analysts said, after the breakdown of a second U.S.-North Korea summit in Vietnam in February meant no relief on sanctions for North Korea.   The North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Tuesday the visit would happen soon, but did not elaborate on a time or location.  Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported the visit was scheduled for April 25 in Vladivostok. The newspaper cited two sources close to the process of preparing the visit.   
There was no immediate comment on the report from the Kremlin, but spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that Putin and Kim were on track to meet by the end of April.  Kim’s chief aide, Kim Chang Son, was seen in Vladivostok on Sunday, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.   Russia has for years been involved in efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear progamme. It was involved in so-called six party talks - along with the two Koreas, Japan, the United States and China - that were last held in 2009.

SEOUL REUTERS April 23